As good as the UConn women looked in romping to their eighth national championship, the Huskies' future looks even better.

Most of this 35-4 season, the Huskies were considered the third-best team in women's college basketball behind Baylor and Notre Dame. That's understandable since all of their losses were to either the Irish (three) and Lady Bears (one).

Next season, UConn will start the preseason ranked No. 1 and will likely hold onto that spot for the duration. While unforeseen circumstances can alter things, based on the players the Huskies return it's difficult to see them losing a game.

For most programs, that would seem to be ridiculous. There have, after all, been only seven undefeated seasons in the history of women's Division I basketball. But UConn has achieved four of those (1995, 2002, 2009 and 2010).

The coaching staff knows how to handle the pressures associated with an undefeated season, and UConn will have plenty of talent to make a strong run at a record-breaking ninth national championship.

You could argue the Huskies will have the two best players in the country in Breanna Stewart and Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, and four players overall worthy of All-America honors when you add Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson.

Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike will be a strong Player of the Year candidate, as will Baylor's Odyssey Sims. Duke's Chelsea Gray, Maryland's Alyssa Thomas and Notre Dame's Kayla McBride should all be outstanding, too.

But no team will match the Huskies' overall wealth of talent.

They lose a vital part in well-respected senior captain Kelly Faris. She stabilized the team through her defense, hustle, determination and competitiveness. Her unmatched work ethic allowed her to demand more from everyone else.

But just think about the talent in the returning players.

If Stewart plays the way she did in the postseason — earning Most Outstanding Player awards at the Bridgeport Regional and Final Four — she will be an impossible matchup for anyone as a sophomore. The confidence she gained this past month should allow her to maximize her talents.

At 6-foot-4 with a 71-inch wing span, she finishes incredibly well around the basket and can get off any shot she wants from the perimeter. She needs to work on her rebounding, consistency, footwork and shooting form, but she has the potential to be one of the top players in UConn history.

Most of the great UConn players (Rebecca Lobo, Kara Wolters, Nykesha Sales, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Renee Montgomery, Tina Charles, Maya Moore) all made significant improvements between their freshman and sophomore seasons. If Stewart does, her maturation alone will make UConn formidable.

But there will be so much more next year. Mosqueda-Lewis was not only the team's leading scorer (17.6 ppg.), but also the most consistent player. There is every reason to believe she is only going to get better. Her sturdy 6-foot frame combined with the best jump shot in the country (49 percent 3-point shooting) makes her dangerous both in the post and on the perimeter.

With the graduation of Baylor's Brittney Griner, the best center in the country will be Dolson. She finished second in the nation in field goal shooting (59 percent) behind Griner, but did so while also hitting from outside consistently. She is also outstanding at setting screens and passing the ball (117 assists).

Hartley can score, push the tempo and play solid defense when her assignment is well-defined. She provides the Huskies with a confidence that positively affects everyone. She didn't play up to her capabilities for most of the season, but her great play over the past month clearly made the team much better.

Beyond the All-Americans, the Huskies also return freshmen Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson and sophomores Kiah Stokes and Brianna Banks.

Tuck is undersized at 6-2, but has a solid frame and is fundamentally sound. She is poised enough to be a great complementary post player. Stokes has an incredible basketball body with length and strength. If she finds the motivation to practice and play hard consistently, she could provide rebounding and defensive presence.

Banks was averaging 7.3 ppg. as the first guard off the bench before suffering an ACL knee injury. Her quickness and athleticism allowed the Huskies to press more than usual, and she was really coming into her own offensively.

Jefferson is the fastest player in UConn history. She already knows how to use her quickness to disrupt opposing offenses. Once she gets more comfortable with the UConn offense and her role in it, she could be a dynamic point guard.

The one newcomer will be recruit Saniya Chong, a 5-9 guard from Ossining, N.Y. All she did this year in leading her team to its first state title was average 34.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 9.1 assists and 4.8 steals. She will be in the perfect position to learn slowly and make an impact off the bench when she's ready.

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